That list of the dark side of sugar was not supposed to discourage you from eliminating sweetness from your life. Nature has given us plenty of choices – sweetening alternatives to sugar. Choose from the list below to sweeten your coffee or tea. They even work well for baked goods.

Jaggery – is useful for curing problems like cough, constipation and indigestion. Jaggery, often called ‘medicinal sugar’ is also a good source of iron and helps prevent anemia.

Sugarcane Juice – contains Vitamins B and C and is rich in organic salts, calcium, iron and manganese. It is recommended for anaemia and jaundice.

Stevia with FOS – Stevia is a very sweet herb from South America that’s available in powder and liquid form. FOS stands for fruit ogiliosaccharides, which are beneficial for and support healthy intestinal bacteria. Stevia has shown promise in medical research for treating conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure. It has negligible effect on blood glucose, which makes it attractive as a natural sweetener to diabetics and others on carbohydrate-controlled diets. It contains zero calories.

Honey – can be used as a natural substitute for sugar in most recipes but as it is sweeter than sugar, less is needed. Similarly, as almost one fifth of honey is water, the liquid content of a recipe should be reduced by the same amount.

Honey also enriches and adds a subtle flavor to many savoury dishes such as meat casseroles, sauces and dressings. When used in a marinade, honey will help tenderize meat and while it is cooking, the honey gives a distinctive barbecue flavour to food as it caramelises.

Honey also strengthens the heart, and is a natural and gentle laxative. It is a blood purifier, prevents cold, cough and fever. Since, it is alkaline in nature, it does not produce acidity or flatulence.

Xylitol - known as birch sugar, can be used for baking and sweetening beverages. Xylitol is low-glycemic and healthy for you. It doesn't cause blood sugar imbalances or yeast overgrowth like table sugar. It's thought to promote bone health and prevent tooth decay and plaque buildup. The only drawback is that if you eat too much, you could experience gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea.

Apple juice concentrates – can be used to sweeten food.

Fructose - is a natural low-glycemic sugar that's found in fruit. You can also find it in granulated form at health-food stores. Fructose is sweeter than regular table sugar, so you need less. Research indicates that ingesting lots of fructose, as in drinking sodas and beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, and using processed foods, such as syrups and candy that contain high-fructose corn syrup, can elevate the lipids that increase heart disease. So stay away from those syrupy and sweet processed foods. But you're fine eating fruit and using fructose sparingly as a sweetener and for baking.